


the night and a matter of time

by chilipepperconverse



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Alcohol, Banter, College, Drabble, Gen, Other, POV switch, Pre-Canon, SO glad thats a commonly used tag, Sad Martin Blackwood, Short, The Mechanisms Were Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist's College | University Band, Two Shot, jonmartin if you squint idk, just a little guy, not surprised thats a commonly used tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-13
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-17 19:54:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28730772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chilipepperconverse/pseuds/chilipepperconverse
Summary: Two perspectives on the same event. A shooting star, seen by vastly different people, miles apart and years from meeting.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 22





	the night and a matter of time

**Author's Note:**

> just a fun little one this time!
> 
> this was inspired by a little pair of drawings i did a while back :p also mechs rights! pls talk to me about them im begging y-
> 
> CWs for alcohol and a brief mention of emotional abuse! (boo we hate mama blackwood)
> 
> title taken from constellations by the oh hellos. one of my favorites :>
> 
> enjoy yall! 💙

Jon leaned on the door, pushing it open with his weight. The cooler he lugged behind him rattled as it landed on the pavement, falling an inch from the lip of the doorframe. He held the door open as his bandmates filed out of the pub’s back entrance and into the parking lot. 

Ash slung their bass over their shoulder and sighed. “I missed that note again! You know the one spot in Sleeping Beauty? I can never get it on time.”

“I mean, if it helps, I didn’t notice,” Jon offered with a shrug. 

“‘Cause you don’t sing at that part, genius,” Jessie teased, nudging his arm as they passed him. They looked back over their shoulder. “Did we get everything?”

Brian was already shoving Tim’s guitar case into the van. He was soon joined by the rest of the ensemble, all cramming their instruments wherever they would fit.

“Looks like it!” He said at last, surveying the mess.

Jon made his way to his own car and opened the trunk to find the drinks his friends had pitched in to buy before the show. Eager to get the after-party going, he started loading the cans and bottles into the cooler.

Midterm exams had wrapped up earlier that week, and the Mechanisms had been itching to perform again after all the stress. This bar had taken them last minute, and while the payout was a bit much, getting to play was all the students had truly wanted. It was well past midnight now, and the house had been near full. The energy that had carried them through such a night was starting to dissipate, and the band welcomed the early spring air as they set out to the parking garage down the street.

When the group neared his car, Tim yawned, cutting through idle chatter. “I think I’ll pass on drinks tonight, actually. I’m beat.”

“You sure?” Marius asked. “I would’ve thought you’d still have some energy after we ended on your big song!”

“Hitting those notes takes a lot out of me, to be honest,” he laughed, pulling out his keys. “Have fun, you guys!”

Without any more diversions, the remaining eight emerged at the top floor of the parking deck, far above the streetlights below. Ivy set down her radio and flipped to a random station. Some older Nirvana song played as Jon cracked open the cooler, waiting for everyone to grab a drink before helping himself. 

He could not have cared less about whatever dirt and grime was on the ground— Jon had been on his feet, singing and jumping around for nearly four hours, so concrete seemed as welcoming as a feather bed. Marius followed suit, resting his head against Jon’s leg and letting out a long sigh. 

All of Jon’s friends were soon laying on one another, slamming back cans of beer, or both. Brian had already committed to driving everyone home, so he simply stared up at the sky. Jon caught himself looking over every few minutes to make sure he hadn’t fallen asleep, though it would’ve been hard to amidst Ella’s increasingly loud ramblings.

“Question!” She announced, gesturing wildly with her drink. “What do you think the person you’ll end up with is doing  _right now? ”_

Some of them laughed, while others blinked in confusion at the prompt.

“Uh... sleeping?” Brian said hesitantly. “At least I hope.”

Ash pointed to their mouth and pretended to gag, to much amusement from the others.

“Don’t think on it too much,” Jon said to the drummer. “She asks shit like this all the time.”

“No, DO think on it!” Ella cried. “I want to hear your answers.”

Jessie snickered. “Why are you so fixated on this, Raph?”

Knocking both Jessie and Ivy off of her, Ella sat up straight and continued to wave her arms as she spoke. “‘Cause it’s cool! We don’t think about the fact that people exist before we meet them, you know? Like, there’s a chance that the person you’ll marry is looking at the exact same star as you right now. The world is so big that shit like that can happen!”

“That’s definitely fair,” Ivy said, taking a stick of gum from her pocket and popping it in her mouth. “It’s fun to speculate.”

Marius ran a hand through his hair. “Says you! I’m all existential now.” 

“I think my person is probably waking up,” Nastya mused. She swirled her bottle in little circles, watching the beer at the bottom slosh around.

“Why would she be waking up  _now?_ ” Brian asked incredulously. “It’s like, 2 AM!”

“Not in Russia,” Ash reminded him. The others laughed as Brian hid his face in mock shame. 

Jon took a sip of his drink. “Well, whoever my _person_ is, if they’re looking at the star as me right now, they better have a damn good reason for being up. ‘Cause god knows I don’t.”

His friends laughed again at his retort. Jon wasn’t much of a romantic, especially not since his breakup a few months ago. But when he looked up, Ella’s spiel stuck in his mind. The sky was unusually clear, and the height of the parking deck meant an added immunity to light pollution. So the notion that someone could be looking at the same stars as him wasn’t entirely unfounded. 

Jon barely had time to react as a point of light streaked across the sky. He almost didn’t see it for being so close to the horizon— it must have been much further north, but catching sight of it still had Jon beaming. 

“Did you guys see that?” He asked, unable to hide his grin. “There was a meteor!”

“Aw, dammit!” Marius cried. “Lucky bastard.”

“Didja make a wish?” Jessie asked eagerly. 

When Jon shook his head, Ash chimed, “While we’re being existential, how far do you think that thing traveled, only to burn up in our atmosphere?”

“Oh, god, not this,” Jon groaned. “I’m three beers in and space talk gives me headaches anyway.”

“We just sang about space for three hours, Sims,” Brian said with a laugh. “I thought you’d love it!”

Ella flopped backwards into Ivy’s lap. “Well, none of us saw that shooting star, but someone out there probably did! Maybe even your person with a good reason for being up!”

Jon chuckled, shaking his head. “Whatever you say, Captain Romance.”

* * *

Martin’s shift had run long. 

It wasn’t unusual, but he still hated to come home to his mother’s expectant, annoyed expression every time he came home late. She hadn’t been able to get into bed without help for some time, and her schedule had to be pushed further and further back as Martin had to take more and more night shifts. Not that she would argue, though. He was still their only source of income.

As he sat down on the bus, Martin glanced at the paycheck clutched in his pocket, hoping that he’d worked enough to have even a lick of spending money this month. Running the numbers in his head, he sighed knowing the answer was no. At least it was enough for the basics. 

Martin stuffed the paper back into his jacket and looked outside. 

The streetlights grew farther apart as the bus took him out of the downtown area, their bulbs flickering against a backdrop of run-down buildings. His head thumped softly against the window with the slight bob of the turning wheels, and he watched his empty-eyed reflection stare back at him. 

There were only two other people on the bus, neither of whom Martin recognized. One man who looked to be in his late fifties, his face half covered in a scarf, and a college student about Martin’s age, nervously fiddling with her keys. He couldn’t help but wonder what circumstances they were in to be taking a bus this late, but chances were their reasons were as mundane as his own. 

The man sat near the door, on the other side of the aisle, while the girl was only a few seats in front of Martin. Turning his music down, he could hear her trying to talk to someone on her phone. She sounded nervous— though her anxiety was probably from wanting the ride to end, while Martin’s came from wanting it to last. 

When the older man got off at his stop, the girl nervously glanced back at Martin.  If he had been in a better mood, he might have smiled at the stranger, but simply looking away also worked. He didn’t know how else to let this person know he had zero interest in bothering her. 

His stop came, and Martin padded slowly off the bus. He stood still and sighed as it rode away down the road, wondering where else it could have taken him. 

A part of him itched to take the longer route home, but if he stalled for time, his mother would be furious. 

_Really, you wanted to stay away from me? After all that I’ve done for you?!_

Martin shook her words from his head with a groan. He didn’t get much alone time— he didn’t need her poisoning what little of it he had. 

It was about a ten minute walk until he would have to deal with her, though. In the meantime, Martin relished the stillness his already quiet neighborhood had fallen into. The apartment blocks were small, no more than three stories. Most of the streetlights were broken, leaving only faint pools of light scattered down the sidewalk. Not a single car passing him by. 

It was the most peaceful part of his day. 

Martin slowed his pace further as he left the glow of a streetlight and gazed up at the sky. He thought he’d seen stars when he was on the bus, and was pleased to find he was right. Of course, this was still a suburb of the largest city in the country, so it wasn’t exactly dazzling, but Martin still smiled when he was able to make out Orion’s belt and Ursa Major. 

He walked as though in a trance, craning his neck to keep looking up as he wandered. The short distance between him and home didn’t weigh so heavily, now.

His eyes darted towards a bit of movement, and Martin’s mouth hung open as a bright streak of light dashed overhead. A shooting star, gone in an instant.

_A wish!_ He thought, catching his breath.  _Make a wish!_

_Um... more money? Always need that._

_...Need._

Martin huffed. He wished for more money with every split wishbone or plucked dandelion. Every time he could wish, it was always a  need . What did he  _want?_

He was standing still, staring up at the sky. 

_What do I want?_

Martin’s heart skipped. He hadn’t answered that question in years. Doing so on the spot, he felt a gut reaction. What was something his life had sorely lacked for as long as he could remember? Something he had always dreamt of having?

“L-love, I think?” He asked under his breath, looking at the ground and back up as if for reassurance.

The sky didn’t answer. Martin sighed, hesitantly agreeing with himself. 

“That’d... be nice.”

He blushed, ducked his head, and kept walking.

Someone who loved him in the same way he loved them. He chuckled. 

_Like that would ever happen_.

**Author's Note:**

> i love this concept so i hope yall liked how i handled it! lemme know what you think!! 💙  
> as always if you feel like reaching out feel free to message me on discord (diamondchili#3539) to chat about tma or whatever!  
> thanks for reading!! 💙💙


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